Public Health
How China’s ‘Bat Woman’ Hunted Down Viruses from SARS to the New Coronavirus
Wuhan-based virologist Shi Zhengli has identified dozens of deadly SARS-like viruses in bat caves, and she warns there are more out there
Stories by Jane Qiu
Public Health
Covert Coronavirus Infections Could Be Seeding New Outbreaks
Scientists are rushing to estimate the proportion of people with mild or no symptoms who could be spreading the pathogen
EARTH
Glaciers “Sing” as They Crack at Night
Fracturing of Himalayan glaciers could make them melt faster, threatening the water supply for more than a billion people in Asia
Space & Physics
China Ramping Up Quest to Become a Space Science Superpower
But Beijing is often sidelined in international collaboration, and U.S. laws against collaboration slow efforts down
Climate Change
Antarctica’s Sleeping Ice Giant Could Wake Soon
The massive East Antarctic Ice Sheet looks stable from above—but it’s a dangerously different story below
Evolution
The Surprisingly Early Settlement of the Tibetan Plateau
Scientists thought people first set foot on the frozen Tibetan Plateau 15,000 years ago. New genomic analyses suggest multiplying that figure as much as fourfold
Evolution
How the Panda’s “Thumb” Evolved Twice
Two species of distantly related panda may have adapted to a bamboo-centric diet in similar genetic ways
Evolution
Tibetan Plateau Discovery Shows Humans May Be Tougher Than We Thought
Converging genetic and archaeological evidence hints that early migrants clung to the frigid, oxygen-starved “roof of the world” through the worst the climate could throw at them...
Environment
Strange Pumping Effect above Asia Threatens the Ozone Layer
An atmospheric mechanism is lofting Indian and Chinese pollution into the stratosphere
Conservation
Trouble in the Bamboo after Pandas Dropped from Endangered List
The iconic animal’s status change by an influential conservation organization triggers controversy in China
Natural Disasters
Giant, Deadly Ice Slide Baffles Researchers
Climate change could be to blame for Tibetan tragedy
Energy
Glacial Lakes Threaten Himalayan Dams
Flood risk rises as new hydroelectric power projects move upstream to meet rising demand
Evolution
How China Is Rewriting the Book on Human Origins
Fossil finds in China are challenging ideas about the evolution of modern humans and our closest relatives
Environment
Man-Made Pollutants Found in Earth's Deepest Ocean Trenches
Crustaceans at 10,000 meters contain higher concentrations of chemicals than some animals in coastal waters
Climate Change
Investigating Climate Change the Hard Way at Earth's Icy "Third Pole"
A glaciologist doesn’t let a heart transplant keep him from braving dizzying altitudes to gather crucial ice core samples from retreating tropical and subtropical glaciers
Natural Disasters
Killer Landslides: The Lasting Legacy of Nepal's Quake
A year after a devastating earthquake triggered killer avalanches and rock falls in Nepal, scientists are wiring up mountainsides to forecast hazards
Culture
Archaeologists Uncover Another Branch of the Silk Road
New evidence suggests the ancient trade route ventured through the heights of Tibet
The Sciences
How Scientists Are Aiding Quake Recovery in Nepal
A geologist working at the International Center for Integrated Mountain Development in Kathmandu talks about the aftermath of the magnitude 7.8 event near that city
Environment
Himalayas Fail as Pollutants Barrier
Pollutants from south Asia cook stoves and fires apparently waft over even the world's highest mountain range, counter to previous assumptions
Environment
High-Altitude Forests in the Himalayas Harder Hit by Droughts
Why are plateau and mountain timberlines in Asia shifting downslope, despite global warming?
